Federal judge stops ID law

Posted: Tuesday, October 18, 2005

ATLANTA -- A federal judge has ordered Georgia to stop requiring voters to present government-issued photo identification before casting their ballots, at least until a lawsuit challenging the new law can be heard.

The American Civil Liberties Union's Georgia chapter and several other civic and political groups had asked the court for the preliminary injunction, saying the law would deny some citizens their right to vote.

The injunction halts the use of the law shortly before local elections in November, raising the prospect of confusion at polling places among workers already trained to look for the photo IDs.

Secretary of State Cathy Cox, who opposes the law, told the court last week that changing the rules on whether to require picture IDs would create confusion this close to an election for poll workers.

"The age of our poll workers, some of them get confused," she said.

The law was sponsored by Rep. Sue Burmeister, R-Augusta, and approved by the General Assembly earlier this year after fierce debate. During one late-night session, Democrats in both the House and the Senate walked out after voting against the measure.

Those challenging the law have argued that the new rules would disenfranchise poor and elderly voters who might not have photo IDs and might not be able to get them easily.

The law's supporters have said it cuts back on fraud at the ballot box by adding another level of security. Plus, they add that the law does not require a photo-ID for people voting absentee ballots by mail, an option now available to any registered voter regardless of whether they will actually be out of town or ill on Election Day.

The U.S. Department of Justice gave the law "pre-clearance" earlier this year. Because of its history of racial discrimination, Georgia is among the states that must have any substantial change to its voting rules approved by the federal government.

To issue a preliminary injunction, a judge has to believe that those asking for the order have a good chance of winning their case.